Hello this is my first post. I really enjoy this website! I thought I would post my impressions of my new Canon SX 210 IS. I have had it a few weeks and have shot a couple of thousand clicks. Additionally I have read the review on this site and respect it's excellent detail.

I am no expert in the internal electronics of digital cameras but I do know my way around shooting manually pretty well. And the bottom line is not a bunch of numbers anyway it is the final product you produce and how that product jibes with your intentions artistically. And I have never used the other cameras that the Canon was compared to.

I will be brief and to the bottom line. First off I am impressed with the quality of the camera's construction. It's solidity. On the issue of the pop up flash that has been made so much of on various web sites. Actually at first after reading reviews I was prepared to not like it but it really is OK and once you make this camera an extension of yourself it is no problem. You can just close it or hold it down and doing so will not harm the camera so says Canon..

If you read the review on this site you will be told about the screen imaging the still shots is narrow. I suppose this could be better but to me it is a non issue.

Without reiterating what you can read here I would say this. That you have to look at the images coming out of a machine globally and not picking apart small detail too much. What I am saying is that every camera will have streangths and flaws but really the color/contrast and picture generally being produced by the Canon SX 210 IS are really excellent in general. They are a bit warmer I think than some "starker" images from other cameras I have had. Very nice indeed.

I am suprised how well the camera does on the auto settings even when the ISO is high. As for me I am usually down at 80 or 100 and manipulating other factors manually but the auto settings are darn good for a person that does not work in manual. Better pictures than I would expect when examining photos and the factors that produced them. So I think that when run in auto the pictures are really good and in manual if you set things up right you can get some outstanding pictures. I like the colors a lot as I said.

Now as far as the video it is more than enough in terms of quality from my perspective. One thing I would like to se improved is that you get a lot of noise from the wind. But the sound quality to me is really very very good. I am OK with the switch on top for zoom but it could be better I think.. Meaning less awkward. But it is not a major issue to me.

I also like the overall design of the camera. It feels good in the hand. It is smooth and kind of silky.

I also would like to say that perhaps other cameras may do certain things a bit better. But what really was important to me was to get every possible mm out of the zoom and the zoom is really powerful. Today I took stills of a family of foxes playing. Now believe me that is not easy without a good zoom lens and the Canon has a darn good one for a point and shoot. So I really think it is what your goals and desires are and I need the zoom and I need good quality images and this Canon gives all that..

So all in all I think this SX210 IS is a really excellent effort by Canon and anyone willing to take the time to shoot in manual will be rewarded with great images. I don't feel let down at all in any area with this camera. From overal construction to picture quality. We have to remember what it is and for what it is it is one incredible camera considering catagory and price..

With such a high pixel count (14Mpixels), how does the camera handle noise, once you go past low ISO values? In other words, what compromises, if any, has Canon made, to be able to fit that resolution into a compact?